That's nice. What is it???

Pity the background ridges aren't horizontal, but perhaps a straight-on shot wasn't possible.

Steve

Your wife might put you in quarantine when you returned...

Steve

Lovely bird, lovely pictures. Never seen one but I live in hope...

Steve

Grow your hair, gather garlands of flowers and have a summer of love - let's show today's youth what life used to be like (if you can remember it...).

Steve

OK, after long and careful consideration ... Pippa pupa if it's a girl, Peter pupa if it's a boy.

Steve

Only one or two??? Surely more...

And so will I - this is the first time I've grown them from seed so it's an unfolding mystery to me, too.

Botanical name Sempervivum, meaning 'always alive' or in the language of gardening 'survives any amount of neglect'. The perfect plant.

Methinks it's time to name a pupa...

Attention all bread makers!

I asked nicely at the bakery door in my local Tesco and was given some live yeast. And remarkably, there was no charge for it . It wasn't advertised, just a word of mouth thing. Not sure whether it's just a local thing or happening nationally. However, if (a big if...) you have flour but no yeast, it might be worth a polite ask.

Those who know about these things tell me it's not much good for automatic bread makers, but just what you need for hand-made bread. Don't all rush at once, folks!

Steve

About 6 weeks ago I sowed some seeds saved last year from houseleeks that had flowered. The seeds were tiny, like dust, so no pictures of them. But some of the seeds have germinated and started to grow the leaves that will eventually turn into a rosette. Goodness knows what they will look like when fully grown, they don't stay true to variety. I'm intending to document progresss towards full-scale rosettes , so here is the first picture. The outer leaves are about 3mm across.

Q-S1 + reversed Cosina 24mm KA. More of an experiment that an optimal macro setup, but it's showing promise - and it's fun!

Thoughts, comments, amazement at nature etc. welcome as usual. It's surely not a race between Lubbyman's houseleeks and Coker's Orange Tip...




Steve

Thanks, a helpful suggestion that hadn't crossed my mind (although it should have). Mine now has sparkling clean contacts, but alas still doesn't work.

So it's back to trying to make a decision...

Steve

There's something about the texture of old wood and metal that makes them far more interesting than concrete and stainless steel. I particularly like that first picture because the contrast between the texture on the flat surface and the handle makes you think of all the people who have gripped that handle over the years (before we had to think that doing so might contaminate it with a virus...).

Keep taking the camera, there's no reason why you shouldn't. I've been taking a camera on dog walks ever since getting a digital many years ago and don't intend to change just because it's now called 'permitted exercise'!

Steve